Beyoncé won’t let 2013 come to a close before she has her say. In a bold move, the pop singer has released a new self-titled album without warning, making it available via iTunes at the stroke of Midnight Friday.
Her first new release since 2011′s Top Star-earning 4 is described as a “visual album.” Each of the songs is accompanied by a music video. As Beyoncé explains in an announcement video, “I wanted people to hear the songs with the stories in my head, because that’s what makes it mine. That vision in my brain is what I wanted people to experience the first time.”
Beyoncé added, “Now people only listen to a few seconds of the song on iPods. They don’t really invest in a whole album. It’s all about the single and the hype, there’s so much that gets between the artist and the fans.”
“I wanted people to hear things differently and have different first impressions. Not just listen to a 10-second clip but actually be able to see the whole vision of the album. It was important that we made this a movie, made this experience.”
The tracklist includes collaborations with her husband Jay Z, Frank Ocean, and Drake, plus Beyoncé’s first child Blue Ivy makes a cameo on a track aptly dubbed “Blue”. Update: The album also features production/writing from Pharrell, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Hit-Boy, The Dream, and even Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek.
Below, preview the videos for “Blow” and “Drunk in Love”.
Beyoncé Tracklist:
01. Pretty Hurts
02. Haunted
03. Drunk in Love (feat. Jay Z)
04. Blow
05. No Angel
06. Partition
07. Jealous
08. Rocket
09. Mine (feat. Drake)
10. XO
11. Flawless (feat. Chimamanda)
12. Superpower (feat. Frank Ocean)
13. Heaven
14. Blue (feat. Blue Ivy)
15. Pretty Hurts (video)
16. Ghost (video)
17. Haunted (video)
18. Drunk in Love (feat. Jay Z) (video)
19. Blow (video)
20. No Angel (video)
21. Yoncé (video)
22. Partition (video)
23. Jealous (video)
24. Rocket (video)
25. Mine (feat. Drake) (video)
26. XO (video)
27. Flawless (feat. Chimamanda) (video)
28. Superpower (feat. Frank Ocean) (video)
29. Heaven (video)
30. Blue (feat. Blue Ivy) (video)
31. Grown Woman (bonus video)
32. Credits (video)